Goldring 1042

[Mr Pig]

There seems to be general view here that the Adikt and Goldring 1022 are pretty much identical but I know that others have said that Linn have tweaked it to make it substantially better.

Not trying to be funny but, well, they would, wouldn't they?

Think about it. Linn have tweaked it? Linn don't do anything to it, the cartridge is manufactured by Goldring. So what we really mean is that Linn, who have never built a successful commercial cartridge in their entire history, go to Goldring, who have been building successful cartridges for decades, and say 'You're doing it wrong. We, the mighty Linn, have redesigned your cartridge and want you to manufacture it for us'.

And Goldring say 'fine' and build a cartridge exclusively for Linn which is better than anything they've sold thus far. Does that make sense? It doesn't to me but Linn sheep totally believe this. Old K9 and K18 cartridges still sell for good money because, and I've seen them say this, Linn sheep believe that body is the best MM body Audio Technica have ever made! I've tried that body against the current budget AT-VM body, which is plastic, and the VM body sounds better.

It's all a bit sad really isn't it? If Linn are such cartridge experts, why can't they make one? Rega can make them. Why couldn't they make a budget tonearm for their Majik turntable? Rega can make them. Yet Linn, with all their fancy production equipment can't and have to go out looking for cheap arms from all over the place? So no, I can't take it very seriously when people say that Linn are more expert in cartridge design than the people they need to employ to make cartridges for them.

 

[Arkless Electronics]

Had an early K18. Obvs I didn't pay much for it. Interesting but deeply flawed really. prob the closest to good MC levels of detail and mid transparency etc I've heard from an MM but it was at least partially an affectation of the, unfortunately, most noticeable skewed frequency response. It was bright and bass light. Both bass and treble were I will say of good quality and it was a very good tracker.... just there was too much of the treble... and the bass, whilst fast, tight and clean was down in level to what it should be. Think Quad pre amp with "Tilt" control set to cut bass and boost treble by say 3dB at each end. It was frustratingly like there was a very impressive sound trying to get out but you have tone controls on you amp and they've been super-glued to Bass -2 and Treble +2!

 

[PerF]

..

Think about it. Linn have tweaked it? Linn don't do anything to it, .

As I understand Goldring 10xx body is Pocan material, the Audio Note and Roksan equivalents looks alike.
Wonder what material the Adikt body is.?

 

[Mr Pig]

Wonder what material the Adikt body is.?

 

[Chas B]

I always smile when I see Pocan mentioned as if it were something special, it's just glass-filled nylon which is an industry standard for many plastic mouldings.

 

[Craig B]

Old K9 and K18 cartridges still sell for good money because, and I've seen them say this, Linn sheep believe that body is the best MM body Audio Technica have ever made! I've tried that body against the current budget AT-VM body, which is plastic, and the VM body sounds better.

That is interesting, especially so, as I've found the best Linn branded A-T mix to be K5 body with K9 stylus assembly on. This sounds just like what one would have longed for their old AT93 (aka 'yellow' Basik) to be; still lively and fun, but with none of the ragged top end of the old bonded conical.

K9 Vital 'fine line' stylus:

 

[Craig B]

Isn't that one of those new Majik tonearm VTA spacers?

 

[Mr Pig]

That is interesting, especially so, as I've found the best Linn branded A-T mix to be K5 body with K9 stylus assembly on.

The VM body sounded warmer and fuller than the Linn metal body and had better flow to it.

Isn't that one of those new Majik tonearm VTA spacers?

No, it's Brik. Made for Linn by Lego but improved over the Lego version, it ways that are invisible, and available from Linn dealers for just £120 per Brik.

 

[coredump]

Goldring G1012GX: Gyger II stylus
Goldring G1022GX: Vital/PH stylus
Goldring G1042: Gyger S stylus
(Source: https://www.goldring.co.uk)

Linn Adikt: Gyger II stylus
(Source: https://www.linn.co.uk)

I own (ascending order in terms of subjective sound-quality) an Adikt, a 1022 stylus in a Roksan body and a 1042.
The 1022 has a kind of „thwack“ that suits rock and electronic music very well. The Adikt displays an inherent „greyness“ and always sounds somewhat rough in the upper registers. The 1042 is the most versatile and even-sounding of the bunch.

 

[vicdiaz]

Worked for the local Linn Dealer and spent three days being taught the set up and adjustment at the USA importers in late 80's

Me too!!! The distributor was Audiophile Systems in Indianapolis, Indiana, and Gary Warzin and Tony Gregory were exceptional as Linn distributors back in the mid-late 80s.

 

[audiopile]

I agree -Audiophile Systems were a class act. I still own and use the LP-12 adjustment stand -funny how useful it is to be able to look at what's going on from the bottom of turntables (even non-Linns). I really liked one of the GF's friends reaction to the LInn stand on the floor in the living room a few years ago : Whats that ? GF-he lays on the carpet and..... GF's friend -drinks doesn't he.

 

[freefallrob]

I spent many years with a Goldring 1012GX, it never really lit my fire, but it was workman like and did everything pretty well.
Plenty of cartridges have passed through over the years since and I currently run a REGA Exact MM in a P9 and love it.
My Dad recently bought a 1042 to replace broken a HANA MC (which was very nice before it gave up), and I thought why have you done that?! However, the 1042 once set up sounded spectacular, it is a pig to fit though compared to the tapped bodies of today....

 

[Mr Pig]

However, the 1042 once set up sounded spectacular, it is a pig to fit though compared to the tapped bodies of today....

Not just that but it's as if they deliberately made the body so you can just fit the bolts and no more. i have one here and the bolts are just left in it.

The 1042 is a great cartridge but I'd say that, like 1012GX you describe, it's businesslike. It's clear, detailed, all the Hi-Fi stuff but it doesn't have the soul of the Exact. Not many cartridges do.

 

[audiopile]

I have to admit that having installed a couple of thousand cartridges into headshells over a decades long audio career -I don't have a particular problem with the 10XX Goldring body -BUT-once I installed my 1042 stylus into a Roksan Corus Black body and that into a headshell couldn't help but notice how dead easy it was. So-when a Corus Blue body only poped up -cheap- I bought that to. As someone suffering from untreated phono cartridge obsession -I bought packages of 100 stainless steel socket head cartridge bolts of various lengths and 1000 nuts-this was reasonably cheap because of their lack of audiophile status and I very rarely spend any time finding the right hardware for a cartridge -and the right hardware makes fitting cartridges to headshells noticeably easier. Was listening thru the Corus Black/1042 stylus to Mark Knopfler's "The Road Wherever" last night and again had that best seat in the house experience -hint to Goldring-they could sell a lot of the 1000 series carts if they simply went to a captive bolt body -please make it so that it can be thru bolted all the way through -this allows a body to be bolted either from the bottom up thru a headshell/arm or conventionally bolted from top down. But PLEASE,PLEASE keep making the excellent styli for these cartridges.

 

[Rushboy]

To all Goldring 1042 friends.
How much contact force do you have with the 1042?

 

[Mr Pig]

How much contact force do you have with the 1042?

Tracking force ?

 

[Rushboy]

Tracking force ?

Yes sorry I am from Germany

 

[KeithL]

1.9g tracking force
1.5g ant-skate

 

[audiopile]

2 grams in my case -but there is no anti-skate/bias in my arm.

 

[KeithL]

The 1042 is a great cartridge but I'd say that, like 1012GX you describe, it's businesslike. It's clear, detailed, all the Hi-Fi stuff but it doesn't have the soul of the Exact. Not many cartridges do.

I come back to the G1042 time and time again because it has soul. Maybe it just sits right with my other components compared to my other cartridges. I enjoy my record collection instead of just playing records that sound good with this or that cartridge.